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Smooth sailing at flu clinic
Initial rush evened out as hundreds get vaccination
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL
Calvert County residents lined up Saturday morning to get the 2,000 doses of the H1N1 swine flu vaccine the county health department administered at the Calvert County Fairgrounds in Barstow. The vaccine was given mainly to pregnant women, residents 6 months to 24 years old, people with underlying health conditions, toddler caregivers, and health care and emergency workers.
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The early bird may catch the worm, but the early ones who arrived before 10 a.m. to get their H1N1 flu vaccination Saturday at the Calvert County Fairgrounds had to wait in line.
However, after 11 a.m., people strolled in, registered and quickly received their free vaccination provided by the Calvert County Health Department (CCHD) for target groups from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
At least 400 people were waiting in the line that looped around the parking lot near the front entrance of the fairgrounds when the clinic opened, said Michele Jones, a county health worker who handed out color-coded tickets to people as they came through the gate.
"I haven't stopped until this minute," she said at 11:30 a.m., but the break was less than a minute as people steadily continued to stream in. Volunteers guided the people to registration tables and through the entire process of the vaccination.
Bill Smith, a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer, directed the registered people, mostly parents with young kids who came his way ready to receive the vaccination.
"Table for two," he said, welcoming two people into the building, and then pointed to one of four roped off areas.
"They have a very good system. Calvert County has done a tremendous job," said Smith, who arrived at 7:30 a.m. to get his instructions for volunteering.
The county provided more than 2,000 H1N1 vaccines, both injectable and nasal mist, said Sharon Nazarek, a registered nurse and director of disease surveillance and response for the county health department.
For those needing special assistance, the county used a portable building as a drive-through clinic to administer the vaccine.
"It's the first time we've done that," she said.
The first time the county offered a free H1N1 vaccine on Oct. 31, 1,868 youth ages 6 months to 18 years old were vaccinated, Nazarek said, adding, "We didn't have to turn anyone away."
The vaccines were only given to the five target groups including pregnant women, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, all people from 6 months through 24 years of age, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated and persons aged 25 through 64 who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza, according to the county's Web site.
Keya Hutchins of Prince Frederick, who works for a daycare center, said it only took her and her two kids about five minutes to get the vaccine when she arrived shortly after 11 a.m. Hutchins, who was holding her 1 - year-old son Gregory White, said, "He did not like that experience at all." Eleven-year-old Trayonna Hutchins, who had the mist spray said, "It didn't feel that bad. You can taste it in your mouth." Trayonna, who attends Plum Point Middle School, said she thought, "Lots of people are getting the swine flu."
Maggie Carroll, 8, said, "It didn't hurt," but her mother Jenna Carroll said her daughter was worried that it would hurt. The Carroll family is going to Guatemala in a few weeks to help disabled kids at a camp so they were told they needed to get the injectable form of the H1N1 vaccine.
"Our regular doctor recommended it," said Jenna Carroll, who said the process took about 15 minutes at the most.
Morgan Lennon, 9, actually said, "It was fun," of getting the mist nasal spray. "A kid in my class had the swine flu, actually two," said Morgan, who attends Huntingtown Elementary School. Her 11-year-old sister Alyssa Lennon got the injection as recommended by her doctor because of a respiratory problem.
"It felt like a normal shot," she said.
It is expected that CCHD will eventually receive enough vaccine for residents wishing to be vaccinated. Go to its Web site for information about other vaccination clinics at www.calverthealth.org.
